Overload

Calcium imbalance

Category: Illness or disabilities

Type

Involuntary

Introduction and description

Calcium is an absolutely essential mineral. It is not only used to build our bodies as we grow but it is the means by which we operate as a human being. Although most medical descriptions tend to concentrate on calcium deficiency, the problems are in reality caused by calcium imbalance, and this is more correctly what is happening if we are ill, deficiency and overdose are always linked.

In medicine, Hypocalcaemia is the presence of low serum calcium levels in the blood. Hypercalcaemia is an elevated calcium level in the blood.

Symptoms

Deficiency - Hypocalcaemia

It is actually, these days, quite unusual for anyone to be suffering from a calcium deficiency. If a person is dairy intolerant, however, [or on heavy medication or has a very poor diet], it can occur. Examples of illnesses and disease caused by a deficiency in calcium include

Osteoporosis - in which the bone deteriorates and there is an increased risk of fractures. If the calcium levels get low, the body starts to use bone as the major mineral source which can lead to osteoporosis and fragile bones. Parathyroid hormone secreted by the parathyroid gland regulates the resorption of Ca2+ from bone and subsequent reabsorption in the kidney back into circulation, so thyroid problems can be the cause of osteoporosis not just calcium deficiency
Dental problems - the teeth do not form properly or deteriorate and fall out
Growth problems - Calcium is used to build bone and cartilege, if there is calcium deficiency we get stunted growth and do not grow properly as babies. Lack of calcium in a mum can also cause premature births and miscarriages. Rickets is caused by calcium deficiency, itself caused by a Vitamin D deficiency.
Infertility - Calcium is key to fertilisation and thus if we suffer imbalance - usually a deficiency - we can suffer infertility

Overdose - Hypercalcaemia

Very often people who are overdosing on calcium show “Low serum magnesium levels”, for reasons which should be clearer if you glance at the section on magnesium. They also exhibit “metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus type 2 and hypertension”. Worth bearing in mind I think.

In the rather typically daft way that some scientists think, the recommendation is to start taking magnesium supplements, where the real solution is to cut down the carbohydrates and sources of calcium. Some of the illnesses which can result from too much calcium include:

Constipation – too much calcium leads to constipation
IBS like symptoms and gastric distress - Hypercalcaemia can increase gastrin production, leading to increased acidity, at its worst it can lead to peptic ulcers
Atherosclerosis - If we do not get enough magnesium to counterbalance all this calcium, then we may well suffer from build up of calcium deposits in the form of plaque in the circulatory system. It is not really cholesterol that is the problem – it is calcium. Plaque leads to hypertension and
Endothelial dysfunction – hardening of the arteries and 'furring' as well as poor functioning of the blood vessels
Kidney stones - If we overdose on calcium, then we may well suffer from build up of calcium deposits, gall stones have a similar source.
Diabetes - as mentionned above

Overdose or deficiency

All our cells function like small batteries and much of the electrical signalling that takes place along nerves and in cells is achieved via chemical manipulation of calcium ions - see Physical nervous system. Calcium is essential for all living organisms, not just us, in particular in cell physiology, where movement of the calcium ion Ca2+ into and out of the cytoplasm functions as a signal for many cellular processes. As a consequence calcium deficiency or overdose - imbalance - can cause a host of muscle and nerve related illnesses.

You can get twitching, heart arrhythmias, and muscle spasms – for example eclampsia – and other 'abnormal nerve excitation'.

A whole host of other nervous system problems – headaches, menstrual pains, fibromyalgia – in effect any illness where the nervous system has gone into overload can be caused by an excess or imbalance of calcium and the other minerals involved in the nervous system - potassium, sodium and chloride.

At its worst calcium imbalance can lead to Convulsions, Arrhythmias, Tetany and numbness/parasthesias in hands, feet, and around the mouth and lips. Some examples include:

Mental problems – the brain is part of the nervous system and calcium imbalance can cause all sorts of psychiatric disorders -
- depression [30-40%],
- anxiety
- ADHD - Some ADHD cases are caused by calcium imbalance. High levels of calcium ions [thus an excess not a deficiency] decrease neuronal excitability, which leads to drowsiness, confusion, hallucinations, stupor and / or coma. An excess can cause hyperexcitability
- Insomnia – for the reasons stated above, calcium imbalance can result in insomnia
- Epilepsy – calcium imbalance is implicated in some epileptic seizure
Muscle problems – Calcium is key to the functioning of muscles and imbalance can result in cramp or flaccidity. Eclampsia - is an acute and life-threatening complication of pregnancy, characterized by the appearance of tonic–clonic seizures. Too much calcium causes fatigue, muscle weakness, low tone and sluggish reflexes in muscle groups
Organ problems - the heart is a muscle and there are muscles working the lungs, the intestines and the stomach. Bronchospasm and coughing are symptoms of calcium imbalance. Pain is a symptom of calcium imbalance. There is likely to be pain of both bones [joints] and muscles. Heart arrhythmias - Chronically elevated plasma calcium (hypercalcemia) is associated with cardiac arrhythmias.
Enzyme malfunction - Enzymes need calcium, so imbalance can result in the malfunction of our digestive system, for example, or any of the other systems that use enzymes.
Blood circulation problems - Imbalance in calcium causes problems with blood clotting - 'thick' and 'thin' blood! Calcium in the blood exists in three primary states: bound to proteins (mainly albumin), bound to anions such as phosphate and citrate, and as free (unbound) ionized calcium. Only the ionized calcium is physiologically active. Normal blood calcium level is between 8.5 to 10.5 mg/dL (2.12 to 2.62 mmol/L) and that of ionized calcium is 4.65 to 5.25 mg/dL (1.16 to 1.31 mmol/L).

Causes

All the following can contribute to calcium imbalance:

Vitamin imbalance - particularly vitamin D. Calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D3, promotes absorption of calcium from the intestines and the mobilization of calcium ions. Calcitonin secreted from the parafollicular cells of the thyroid gland also affects calcium levels, thus a lack or excess of vitamin D can affect calcium. A Lack of sun – not being out in the sun enough can add to the problems as one major source of vitamin D is the sun.
Vitamin supplements - an excess of vitamins is as bad as a deficiency in calcium balance
Diarrhoea – causing electrolyte imbalance
Nausea and vomiting - ditto
Nutritional deprivation – caused by deliberate starvation [bulimia, anorexia etc], starvation or other poor dietary practises. Note that this category can also include overload.
Many western and progressively more eastern diets contain an overload of calcium – we tend to eat huge quantities of dairy products, sugar, and drink alcohol, sugary drinks and so on – all of which are sources of calcium. [see also Metabolic process].
Thyroid gland or kidney disease or damage - Calcium is tightly regulated by the parathyroid hormone (PTH). In response to low calcium levels, PTH induces the kidneys to reabsorb calcium, the kidneys to increase production of calcitriol (the active form of vitamin D) thereby increasing intestinal absorption of calcium. These actions lead to a re-balance in the blood calcium levels. However, in the setting of absent, decreased, or ineffective PTH hormone, the body loses this regulatory function, and imbalance ensues.
Physical trauma – surgery can occasionally result in the destruction of the parathyroid glands or kidneys. In neck dissection for head and neck cancers or inadvisable plastic surgery.
Heavy metals – particularly exposure to mercury, lead etc Aluminium can also cause problems
Mineral supplements – people who take mineral supplements often overdose on magnesium, and magnesium in excess depletes calcium
Toxins – Many toxins cause imbalance. For example, Hydrofluoric acid is a precursor to numerous pharmaceuticals and substances for example Teflon and is thus used in manufacturing. However, Hydrogen fluoride gas is an acute poison that may immediately and permanently damage lungs and the corneas of the eyes. By interfering with body calcium metabolism, the concentrated acid may also cause systemic toxicity and eventual cardiac arrest and fatality, after contact with as little as 160 cm2 (25 square inches) of skin
Extreme emotion - Stress, fear, panic attacks and other events can result in ' incorrect breathing' or hyperventilation – which in its turn causes alkalosis. As blood plasma hydrogen ion concentration decreases, caused by respiratory or metabolic alkalosis, freely ionized calcium concentration decreases. This freely ionized calcium is the biologically active component of blood calcium. Since a portion of both hydrogen ions and calcium are bound to serum albumin, when blood becomes alkalotic, bound hydrogen ions dissociate from albumin, freeing up the albumin to bind with more calcium and thereby decreasing the freely ionized portion of total serum calcium. For every 0.1 increase in pH, ionized calcium decreases by about 0.05mmol/L. This hypocalcaemia related to alkalosis is partially responsible for the cerebral vasoconstriction that causes the lightheadedness, fainting, and paraesthesia often seen with hyperventilation.
Pharmaceuticals – cause a considerable amount of imbalance both deficiencies and excess. For example
- Lithium,
- Diuretics such as Thiazide
- Calcium channel blockers,
- Alcoholism treatments
- Antacids and heartburn treatments,
- Anti-arrhythmia drugs
- Laxatives - prolonged use of medications/laxatives containing magnesium
- Chelation Therapy - for metal exposure, particularly EDTA
- Osteoporosis drugs - such as Bisphosphonates and Denosumab.

and so on. If you follow this link to the eHealthme website, and under the heading of 'conditions' look for calcium deficiency, you will find a page on the number of Adverse Drug reports that have been submitted by doctors to the FDA and SEDA in the USA - in other words reports showing that a drug caused calcium deficiency. Now scroll down the page and you will find an entry 'drugs causing'. Click this and you will be able to see an up-to-date list of all the drugs implicated in causing calcium deficiency. As of October 2016, there were about 350. Osteoporosis treatments, interestingly enough, have a very poor record.

Treatments

Find the cause. See Healing yourself and also Eating for health.

The section on Calcium in the suppression section shows the foods which are a source of calcium. This list and the link it gives to the USDA Nutritions database should help you to assess whether you are overdosing or suffering from a deficiency.

How it works

Physically - this activity works via the diseases it results in

Logically - this activity works because mineral deprivation or overload is a threat. You need to have the Model of the Mind open and have read How spiritual experence works.

If we look at this from a logical point of view, what we see is that the Will is being assaulted by a Threat.

The 5 senses along possibly with the nervous system are telling it that it is in danger, that the threat is both real and serious. Thus the Will is being told DO SOMETHING.

But what if it can do nothing? It has searched the Memory for a learnt function to deal with it and finds nothing and the Threat is there now, it has no time to learn. If you do nothing about the imbalance and it gets worse, the messages get louder and louder – THREAT ,THREAT ,THREAT – we are sick captain we don’t want to die, your little cells and organs want to live.

There is little input from the Reasoning function – after all what can it do? And the intensity of the messages being sent it from Perceptions tends to overwhelm the reasoning function anyway – DO SOMETHING, DO SOMETHING!!! The Will may first tell the Autonomic system [via Endorphins] that it can do nothing and to cease complaining, but there comes a point where the Will gives up, exhausted, and lets the Composer take over. The ego has been squashed.

And we get our spiritual experience.

It is unlikely to be a pleasant one, the composer is most likely to try to send us a message that we should act to do something.

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Overload

Calcium imbalance

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Introduction and description